Gutters and gutter fittings

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO GUTTERS FOR RAINWATER AND LIKE USES AND TO FITTINGS FOR SUCH GUTTERS. ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION A GUTTER OF THE OPEN-TROUGH TYPE IS MADE OF A SYNTHETIC PLASTICS MATERIAL SO THAT IT HAS A NUMBER OF SPACED INTEGRAL, INWARDLY PROJECTING RIBS WHICH EXTEND IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW. PREFERABLY THE SIDES AND BOTTOM OF THE GUTTER FORM A CONTINUOUS CURVE WITH EACH OTHER. IN THE CASE OF A FITTING TO WHICH SUCH A GUTTER IT TO BE FITTED, FOR EXAMPLE TO CONNECT ONE GUTTER TO ANOTHER OR TO A DOWNPIPE, THE FITTING ITSELF IS FORMED WITH INTERNAL RIBS WHICH ARE INTERNDED TO FORM CONTINUATIONS OF THE GUTTER RIBS WHEN THE PARTS ARE FITTED TOGETHER. ONE OUTER WALL OF A CURVED GUTTER OR THE FITTING MAY BE HIGHER THAN THE INNER WALL, WHILST ONE OF THE RIBS MAY BE HIGHER THAN THE OTHERS TO DIRECT THE FLOW OF WATER.

Oct. 12, 1911 R. EDMONDSON 3,6HJ31 GUTTERS AND GUTTER FITTINGS Original Filed Oct. 30, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 12, 1971 EDMQNDSON 3,611,731

GU'I'TERS AND GUTTER FITTINGS Original Filed Oct. 30, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2- Fig.2.

Oct. 12, 1971 R. EDMONDSON GUTTERS AND GUTTER FITTINGS Original Filed Oct. ISO. 1968 5 Sheets-Shoot 3 3,611,731 GUTTERS AND GUI'IER FITTINGS Ronald Edmondson, Chislehurst, Kent, England, assignor to Plastiers Limited, London, England Continuation of application Ser. No. 771,813, Oct. 30, 1968. This application Dec. 27, 1968, Ser. No. 787,432 lint. Cl. 1E02b 9/04 US. Cl. 61-14 2 Claims ABSCT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to gutters for rainwater and like uses and to fittings for such gutters. According to the invention a gutter of the open-trough type is made of a synthetic plastics material so that it has a number of spaced integral, inwardly projecting ribs. which extend in the direction of flow. Preferably the sides and bottom of the gutter form a continuous curve with each other. In the case of a fitting to which such a gutter is to be fitted, for example to connect one gutter to another or to a downpipe, the fitting itself is formed with internal ribs which are intended to form continuations of the gutter ribs when the parts are fitted together. One outer wall of a curved gutter or the fitting may be higher than the inner wall, whilst one of the ribs may be higher than the others to direct the flow of water.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 771,813 filed Oct. 30, 1968, now abandoned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to gutters and gutter fittings, such as are used for rain water on houses or other buildings, and it is more particularly concerned with such gutters and fittings which are made of synthetic plastics materials. Its object is the provision of improved plastics gutters and fittings which are included in the general term gutter members and which offer advantages over ordinary plain gutter and fittings such as have generally been used in the past Previously gutters for rainwater and similar uses have generally been rrrade of metal or of other materials, including synthetic plastics, so that they have smooth inner surfaces, the object being to allow an easy and unimpeded flow of water both down the sides of the gutter and along it. It was thought that this would assist in ensuring that leaves, dirt and the like which might fall into the gutter would all be washed along it, so that the gutter would be kept clean. Experience has shown, however, that this does not always occur, particularly when there are periods with only small falls of rain. At such times leaves, dust and other solids tend to stick together to form a solid deposit along the bottom of the gutter, from which the deposit may not be removed subsequently by even heavy falls of rain.

The present invention provides gutters and other gutter members, including fittings which are used to connect one length of gutter to another, which have been found to offer useful advantages over gutter members which have been used in the past.

According to the invention we provide a gutter member for use in the collection of rainwater or the like, wherein the said member is made of a synthetic plastics material and wherein at least part of the member which is in the form of an open-trough gutter is formed internally with a plurality of integral, inwardly-projecting ribs which are spaced from each other and which extend in the general direction of flow along the gutter.

The provision of such integral ribs extending along the gutter member inside the latter in the direction of 3,611,731 Patented Oct. 12, 1971 flow, besides improving the flow of water and reducing the tendency for the gutter to become blocked, also has the effect of stiffening and strengthening the gutter and of reducing its tendency to sag between its points of support. This is particularly liable to happen with plastics gutters and with certain kinds. of gutter fittings which otherwise offer practical advantages over ordinary metal guttering.

The invention also provides further improvements in gutter fittings, especially in fittings which are intended for use with the gutters of the invention, for example for connecting the ends of such gutters to one another and for providing bends or joints between gutters and connections with down pipes.

As will appear from the following description some of these improvements are especially applicable to fittings which are intended to connect two lengths of gutter together at a corner or bend, as well as to gutters which are themselves curved, for the purpose of reducing overspill of water at corners or bends in the fitted guttering.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general perspective View showing part of a gutter and the parts (before their complete assembly) of a gutter fitting exemplifying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-section of the gutter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section, taken on the line BB of FIG. 4, of the assembled gutter and gutter fitting of FIG. -1;

FIG 4 is a section taken on the line A--A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section, partly brokenaway, taken through a length of an ordinary plastics gutter which is supported at its ends by a pair of connecting fittings, showing the sagging of the gutter which may be produced by the weight of the gutter and of its load, which latter may include, water, snow, ice and/or vegetable and other solid matter;

FIGS. 6 and '7 are sectional views, similar to FIG. 2, but showing gutters having ribs of different sections, which may be used in the practice of the: invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the reference 1 indicates a gutter which has been made, preferably by extrusion moulding, out of a synthetic plastics material. Suitable materials include unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (U.P.V.C.).

The gutter 1 has a smooth outer surface and is gen erally uniform in thickness, but it is formed integrally on its inner side with a number of ribs, indicated generally at 2, which extend along the length of the gutter in the direction of flow of water along it. The gutter is shown as being part-circular (nearly semicircular) in cross-section, with ribs 2 of triangular section, but other sections are possible for the gutter, and also for the individual ribs. The gutter (and the same would apply to gutter fittings, such as the one which will be described) could be of rectangular or box section, or of any other desired section, but it is preferred that the section should be such that the main parts of the gutter (or gutter fitting) representing its bottom and at least the lower parts of its sides should merge together to form a continuous curve on which the ribs are spaced.

In the construction shown most of the ribs 2 are arranged in pairs around almost the full cross-section of the gutter 1, there being a single central rib 2a and pairs of ribs 2b (FIG. 2) on what may be regarded as the bottom part of the gutter, two pairs of ribs 2c on each side of the gutter and further pairs of ribs 2d where the sides merge into the bottom of the gutter.

Other numbers and distributions of the ribs 2 are also possible, whilst their dimensions, relatively to those of the gutter, can be varied. For example, there may be fewer (and if desired larger) ribs (for example four or five) and they may be of different sections. Thus FIG. 6 shows a gutter 1 having the ribs 2e of curved or semi-circular section, whilst the gutter 1 shown in FIG. 7 has ribs 2f of generally rectangular section.

Whatever may be the number and spacing of the ribs they are in any case preferably all spaced below the top edges of the gutter so that they do not interfere with the connection of the latter with gutter fittings, as will be described. The number, spacing, dimensions and sections of the ribs should in any case be so chosen that they will give the best results for that particular gutter.

The ribs 2 serve a number of functions. One is that they stiffen the gutter and increase its strength, which is particularly important with plastics gutters which are to be used with certain types of connecting (or end) and supporting fittings. When an ordinary plastics gutter is assembled in the usual way with appropriate fittings at its ends, whether these are to close the ends of the gutter or to connect it to other lengths of gutter or to a downpipe, bowing or bending of the gutter distorts the load on the sealing pads which are usually provided in the fittings to allow for expansion and contraction of the gutter, whilst preventing leakage. This is illustrated, partly diagrammatically, in FIG. 5, which shows a length 3 of an unribbed plastics gutter supported at its ends by fittings 4. These fittings are intended to connect the length of gutter 3 with similar adjacent lengths of gutter (not shown).

Each of the fittings 4, which is moulded from a suitable plastics material, carries a sealing pad 5 which is made of a synthetic rubber or other similar material and which is bonded or otherwise secured to the body of the fitting. The fitting 4 also includes a pair of inwardly-turned lips 6 which engage over the edges of the gutter 3 and hold the latter, which compresses the material of the pad 5.

Any sagging of the gutter 3, which may result from the weight of the gutter itself, together with its load, and which is particularly likely to be serious as a result of snow or ice collecting in or being formed on the gutter in winter or if there is a heavy accumulation of sediment in the gutter, has a number of undesirable effects. In the first place by distorting the material of the pad 5, as shown in FIG. 5, it may increase the friction between the gutter 3 and the fitting 4 with its pad 5 to such an extent as to prevent slipping movement between the gutter and the fitting. This movement is needed to allow for thermal expansion and contraction of the gutter, whether in summer or winter; without it the resulting lengthening or shortening of the gutter (which would be added to the shortening caused by the sagging) could damage the fittings 4 (with their pads 5) and the attachment of the fittings to the wall.

Another disadvantage of any excessive sagging of the gutter is that it might result in one end of the gutter becoming completely disengaged from its fitting; this would be particularly likely to occur if the other end of the gutter is being immovably held in its fitting.

The internal ribs 4 which are provided in the gutter by the present invention increase the strength of the gutter, whilst they do not interfere with any fittings to which the gutter may be connected or with the sealing pads in the latter.

A further advantage, to which reference has been made, which is provided by the ribs of the invention, is that they improve the flow of water along the gutter. For one thing they break up or reduce the formation of vortices during heavy rainfall, thereby providing a straight flow of Water along the gutter, which increases its efficiency, besides helping to clear the gutter of any sediment or leaves which may have collected in it. Another effect of the ribs, particularly ribs such as the ribs 20 and 2d at the side of the gutter 1, is that sediment and leaves falling into the gutter tend to be trapped at each rib position, so that they do not form a heavy accumulation at the bottom of the gutter, which would not be easily cleared by a normal rainfall. The ribs, including the ribs 2a, 2b and 2c, also help to keep leaves from sticking to flat surfaces, such as occurs in conventional gutter s. As a result, the gutter of the invention is less likely to become clogged; it is not so easily blocked by the leaves and sediment, whilst these are more easily cleared during ordinary, as well as heavy, rainfall.

Referring now to FIG. 1, this shows, besides the gutter 1, a fitting, in the form of a bend, which further exemplifies the invention. This fitting, which is indicated generally at 7, comprises a casing 8 which is formed, for example by injection moulding, out of a suitable synthetic plastics material. This casing is formed at its ends with recesses 9, each of which contains apad 10 (one of which is shown separate from the casing in FIG. 1) made of a synthetic rubber or similar material. Each of the pads 10 is secured in its recess 9 by means of a suitable adhesive.

The casing 8 is formed with two pairs of inwardlyprojecting lips 11, which are adapted to engage over the edges of the gutter 1 when the latter is fitted to the fitting 7. In the construction shown, each of the lips 11 is turned downwardly as well as inwardly, but other forms of lip could be used, providing that they hold the gutter 1 properly in position with the pad 10 compressed between the gutter 1 and the body 8 so as to provide a water-tight joint between the gutter and the fitting. For example, one lip 11 of each pair could be turned both inwardly and downwardly, whilst the other extends only inwardly over the edge of the gutter but not downwardly within it.

It is preferred that the parts should be so designed that the gutter 1 can be fitted to the fitting 7 by engaging one edge of the gutter under one of the lips 11 and by then pressing the other edge of the gutter under the opposite lip, utilising the resiliency of the material, including the compressibility of the pad 10, to allow this to be done, after which the elasticity of the pad 10 holds the gutter in position in the fitting, whilst allowing limited sliding movement between them to accommodate longitudinal expansion and contraction of the gutter.

The fitting 7 is formed with a smooth, that is rib-free, exterior like the gutter, whilst on its inner side it is formed with a number of integral, inwardly-projecting ribs 12 and 13. The ribs 12 are similarly shaped and spaced to the ribs 2 of the gutter 1, so that they form continuations of the ribs 2 when the gutter is fitted to the fitting. They then have a similar effect to the ribs 2, both in strengthening the fitting 7 and also in assisting the flow of water through the latter, whilst reducing the chances of it becoming obstructed by leaves or other deposits.

The central guide rib 13, however, is made much higher than the ribs 12, although it is not as high as the sides of the gutter. Its object is to guide the water round the bend and thus reduced the chances of overspill of the water over the outer Wall 14 of the bend. With the same object in view, this outer wall 14 is also preferably made higher than the inside wall 15, although the lips 11 are kept at the same height as each other so that they will fit ordinary lengths of guttering 1.

These features of a guide rib 13' and high outer wall are particularly advantageous because any particular size of rainwater gutter is only being used to its best advantage when it is passing a nearly full flow of water. However, with the majority of installations it is necessary to change the direction of flow through angles of (or other angles) as may be dictated by the shape and plan of the roof. At these bends or corners, however, the normal shapes of the angle or bend fittings used, it considered in cross-section, are such that a large percentage of the water is discharged over the outer sides of the fittings. This restricts the useful size of both the fitting and of the gutter.

The present invention provides a design of gutter bend or angle fitting which is better able to receive the full discharge from a straight line of gutter which is flowing to capacity and to divert this flow to the required new direction without overspill from the outer sides of the gutter and fitting. This is further helped by the other ribs in the fitting and in the gutter. The effective loss of controlled flow from a gutter system which has smooth inner faces can be shown to be very high, as compared with the results which can be obtained by the use of gutters and gutter fittings, constructed in accordance with this invention.

The fitting 7 shown in the drawings is intended for connecting two lengths of gutter together (in this case they would be at right-angles to each other), but the present invention could also be applied to other fittings, such as those intended for the connection of downpipes. In such cases the fittings would be formed with internal ribs similar to the ribs 2 and 12.

It will be understood that in some cases the bend 7 (or similar fittings) could be made with a central rib 13 but without a high outer wall 14, or they could be made with the high outer wall 14 but with no raised central rib 13.

I claim:

1. A gutter fitting for fitting to the ends of two lengths of open trough guttering and shaped at an angle such as one of 90 degrees defining a corner or bend so that said length of guttering can be connected to each other in accordance with the angle of the fitting having an internal surface on which are formed a plurality of integral inwardly projecting ribs which extend in the general direction of fiow along the gutter, said ribs being in substantially parallel and spaced relationship with each other, wherein the fitting is shaped to receive an end of said guttering and has two lips which engage over the edges of the guttering and wherein the fitting also includes two pads made of a resilient material which is compressed between said fitting and said end of the guttering when said guttering is in said fitting, said fitting having ribs formed on its internal surface Whch are adapted to form continuations of said ribs in the guttering, and an up standing, internal guide rib formed in said fitting which is of substantially greater height than the other said ribs and which is curved so as to guide water round the corner or bend in the fitting and thus reduce overspill.

2. A gutter fitting for fitting to the ends of two lengths of open trough guttering, said fitting being formed at an angle to provide a corner piece havin an internal surface on which are formed a plurality of integral inwardly projecting ribs which extend in the general direction of flow along the gutter, said ribs being in substantially parallel and spaced relationship with each other, wherein the fitting is shaped to receive an end of said guttering and has two lips which engage over the edges of the guttering and wherein the fitting also includes two pads made of a resilient material which is compressed between said fitting and said end of the guttering when said guttering is in said fitting, and said fitting having ribs formed on its internal surface which are adapted to form continuations of said ribs in the guttering, and an upstanding, internal guide rib formed in said fitting which is of substantially greater height than the other said ribs and which is curved so as to guide water round the corner piece in the fitting, the outside wall of the corner piece being of greater height than the Wall on the inside bend so as to reduce overspill round the corner.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 183,519 10/1876 Vaile 52-11 1,986,383 1/1935 Usinger 61-15 3,355,895 12/1967 Bayes et a1. 61-14 1,028,512 6/1912 Weitzel 61-15 1,696,158 12/1928 =Hart 52-14 2,258,078 10/ 1941 Tennison 52-13 2,899,916 8/1959 Ertman 52-13 FOREIGN PATENTS 810,613 3/1959 Great Britain 52-16 841,369 7/1960 Great Britain 6 1-15 911,851 Il/ 1962 Great Britain 61-14 63,955 2/1913 Switzerland 52-13 PETER M. CAUN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 61-15; 52-11 

